Hair washing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a hair washing unit moving up and down apparatus, which can be adjusted each height of a person for performing a hair washing and a person to be washed.  
     The present invention is provided with a hair washing unit having a ball part  1,  at which a hair washing is performed by the person for performing a hair washing, a hair washing chair  40  detachably connected to the hair washing unit via a chair supporting arm  21,  on which the person to be washed is seated, and a frame column construction part  30,  wherein a ball moving up and down mechanism  10  for moving up and down the ball part  1  is provided at an upper place of the frame column construction part  30,  and a chair moving up and down mechanism  20  for moving up and down the hair washing chair  40  is provided at lower front thereof.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a hair washing apparatus usedwhen a hair washing is performed at a barbershop or a beauty salon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Conventionally, when a hair washing is performed by a person forperforming a hair washing at a barber shop or a beauty salon, forreducing uneasiness of a person to be washed during a hair washing, ahair dresser performs a hair washing with employing a hair washing chairhaving a seat part moving up and down by an up and down mechanism, onwhich the person to be washed is seated, or a hair washing unit having aball part moving up and down by an up and down mechanism, at which ahair washing is performed by the person for a hair washing.

[0003]FIG. 8 is a view illustrating that the person to be washedreceives a hair washing at a conventional hair washing apparatus. Theconventional hair washing apparatus is composed of a hair washing chair80 having an up and down mechanism 81 for moving up and down a positionof a seat part, on which the person to be washed is seated, and a hairwashing unit provided no up and down mechanism, but provided with a ballpart 90, at which a hair washing is performed by a hair dresser. When ahairwashing is performed at the above-described hair washing apparatus,the hair dresser seats a person to be washed on the hair washing chair80, and moves up the up and down mechanism 81 by pressing a switch orthe like (not shown) for operating the up and down mechanism 81 so thata head part of the person to be washed is positioned to the almost sameheight as the ball part 90. Thereafter, a seat back is tilted so thatthe person to be washed lies on his back, and makes the person to bewashed place a head part on the ball part 90, and then a hair washing isstarted.

[0004] However, according to the conventional hair washing apparatus,while there is a hair washing apparatus provided with an up and downmechanism 81 at a seat part of the hair washing chair 80 as illustratedin FIG. 80, or a hair washing apparatus provided with an up and downmechanism at the ball part 90 of the hair washing unit, which is notshown, so that a height of the person to be washed is considered, thereis no hair washing apparatus which considers a height of the person forperforming a hair washing. Therefore, the hair washing apparatus issuited for a height of the person to be washed, which results in that aposition of the ball part 90 is not suited for a height of the personfor performing a hair washing, and thereby increasing uneasiness of theperson for performing a hair washing during a hair washing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention is made to solve the above-mentionedproblems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hairwashing apparatus which can be suited for a height of each of a personfor performing a hair washing and a person to be washed.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a hairwashing apparatus comprises, a hair washing unit having a hair washingstand, at which a hair washing is performed by a person for performing ahair washing, and a hair washing chair connected to the hair washingunit, on which a person to be washed is seated, wherein the hair washingunit is provided with a hair washing stand moving up and down mechanismfor moving up and down the hair washing stand, and a hair washing chairmoving up and down mechanism for moving up and down a seat of the hairwashing chair.

[0007] Therefore, it is possible to adjust height of the ball part andthe hair washing chair according to combinations of each height of aperson to be washed and a person for performing a hair washing, therebyreducing uneasiness of each of the person to be washed and the personfor performing a hair washing during a hair washing.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the hairwashing apparatus described in the first aspect comprises the hairwashing stand moving up and down mechanism having a ball moving up anddown cylinder, one end of which is connected to a frame, and the otherend of which is connected to a ball moving bracket, and a ball attachingpart for attaching the hair washing stand to an upper end of the ballmoving bracket, wherein the hair washing stand is moved up and down bydriving the ball moving up and down cylinder, and the hair washing chairmoving up and down mechanism having a chair moving up and down cylinder,one end of which is connected to a base part arranged on a floor face,and the other end of which is connected to a chair moving bracket, and achair attaching part for detachably attaching a chair to the chairmoving bracket in parallel to the base part via a chair supporting arm,wherein the hair washing chair is moved up and down by driving the chairmoving up and down cylinder.

[0009] Therefore, each height of the ball part, at which a hair washingis performed, and the hair washing chair can be adjusted according tocombinations of each height of a person to be washed and a person forperforming a hair washing, thereby reducing uneasiness of each of theperson to be washed and the person for performing a hair washing duringa hair washing.

[0010] Further, the present hair washing apparatus is structured thatthe hair washing unit is provided with a hair washing chair via thechair supporting arm. Therefore, it is possible to easily arrange thepresent hair washing apparatus at a barber shop or a beauty salon.

[0011] Further, the hair washing chair of the present hair washingapparatus can be easily removed. Therefore, the hair washing chair isremoved or replaced according to a condition of the person to be washed,thereby reducing uneasiness of the person to be washed during receivinga hair washing.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the hairwashing apparatus described in the second aspect, wherein the hairwashing stand moving up and down mechanism is provided on the upperplace of a frame which is stood on the base part and has a front face ofrectangle shape and side faces of parallelogram shape, and the hairwashing chair moving up and down mechanism is provided on the front faceand the lower place, and wherein the hair washing stand moving up anddown mechanism is provided with an up and down movement guide arm,extending perpendicularly and downwardly at an upper side of the framehaving side faces of parallelogram shape, and the ball attaching part isprovided in parallel to the upper side of the frame with movableupwardly and downwardly, and the ball moving bracket, which is fixed toa bottom face of the ball attaching part and extends perpendicularly anddownwardly from the bottom face, moves up and down along the up and downmovement guide arm, and the hair washing chair moving up and downmechanism moves along an inclined face of the frame having sidle facesof parallelogram shape by sliding rollers provided with the chair movingbracket.

[0013] Therefore, it is possible to adjust the height of the ball partand the hair washing chair according to combinations of each height ofthe person to be washed and the person for performing a hair washing,thereby reducing uneasiness of each of the person to be washed and theperson for performing a hair washing during a hair washing.

[0014] Further, the present hair washing apparatus has the hair washingunit provided with the hair washing chair. Therefore, it is possible toeasily arrange the present hair washing apparatus.

[0015] Further, the present hair washing is provided with a moving upand down mechanism for moving up and down the ball part and a moving upand down mechanism for moving up and down the hair washing chair, on thesame frame. Therefore, it is possible to reduce an area for attachingthe hair washing apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearanceof a hair washing apparatus according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a cross sectional view of a framecolumn construction part of a hair washing apparatus according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cross sectional view of a framecolumn construction, part of a hair washing apparatus according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention.

[0019]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearanceof a hair washing apparatus when a hair washing chair is removed fromthe hair washing apparatus according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a state, in which a physicallyhandicapped person on a wheelchair receives a hair washing according toa hair washing apparatus of the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state, in which a pregnant motherwho is near the last month of pregnancy receives a hair washing on ahair washing chair for a pregnant woman according to a hair washingapparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state, in which a pregnant motherwho is near the last month of pregnancy receives a hair washing on ausual hair washing chair according to a hair washing apparatus of thefirst embodiment of the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 8 is a view illustrating that a person to be washed receivesa hair washing according to a conventional hair washing apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

[0024] Hereinafter, a hair washing apparatus according to a firstembodiment will be described with referring to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0025]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearanceof a hair washing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0026] In FIG. 1, this hair washing apparatus is composed of arectangle-frame-shaped frame column construction part 30 extendingobliquely and upwardly which is provided on a base part 2 arranged at afloor face, a ball part 1 for performing a hair washing, which isprovided on an upper face of the frame column construction part 30 withmovable up and down via a ball moving up and down mechanism 10 providedon an upper position of the frame column construction part 30, and achair 40, on which a person to be washed is seated, which is provided ona front face and lower position of the frame column construction part 30with movable up and down via a chair moving up and down mechanism 20 anda chair supporting arm 21.

[0027] Hereinafter, respective parts of the hair washing apparatus willbe described in more details with referring to FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0028]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a frame column constructionpart 30 of the hair washing apparatus when the ball part 1 and the hairwashing chair 40 are located at the lowest position. FIG. 3 is a crosssectional view of the frame column construction part 30 of the hairwashing apparatus when the ball part 1 and the hair washing chair 40 aremoved upwardly to an appropriate position.

[0029] In FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame column construction part 30 is aframe having side faces of a parallelogram frame shape, which comprisesa base part 2 as a bottom side, frames 31 a and 31 b as both sides, anda ball receiving part 33 as an upper side, and an up and down movementguide arm 33 b which extends perpendicularly and downwardly from theball receiving part 33 a and a frame 32 positioned approximately at acenter of the frame 31 a.

[0030] A ball moving up and down 10 positioned at the upper part of theframe column construction part 30 is composed of a ball moving up anddown cylinder 15, one end of which is rotatably connected to a frame 32positioned approximately at a center of a frame 31 a by a shaft 19, andthe other end of which is rotatably fixed to a ball moving bracket 13 bya shaft 14, and a ball attaching part 11 for attaching a ball part 1,which is fixed to the ball moving bracket 13 which moves up and downalong the up and down movement guide arm 33 b by driving the ball movingup and down cylinder 15. A chair moving up and down mechanism 20positioned at a lower part and a front face of the frame columnconstruction part 30 is composed of a chair moving up and down cylinder24, one end of which is rotatably connected to a base part 2 by a shaft27, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to a chair movingbracket 22 by a shaft 23, and a chair attaching part 29 for attaching aseat part 41 of a hair washing chair 40 to a moving chair bracket 22,which has sliding rollers 28 which move up and down along the frame 31 aby driving the chair moving up and down cylinder 24, via a chairsupporting arm 21.

[0031] Further, the ball moving up and down cylinder 15 and a chairmoving up and down cylinder 24 are hydraulic cylinders, and are composedof cylinder tubes 16 and 25, and piston rods 17 and 26, respectively.These two hydraulic cylinders are connected to a hydraulic pump 3arranged on the base part 2 by a pipe arrangement or the like (notshown).

[0032] Further, a moving up switch 5 a and a moving down switch 5 b of afoot switch 5 arranged at the base part 2 are switches which are usedfor moving up and down the ball part 1. A moving up switch 6 a and amoving down switch 6 b of a panel switch 6 for moving up and down achair arranged at an arm rest of the hair washing chair 40 are switcheswhich are used for moving up and down the hair washing chair 40. Thispanel switch 6 for moving up and down the chair is arranged near a seatback at the arm rest 42 so that the panel switch 6 does not becomeobstacles for the person to be washed when he is seated on the seat part41.

[0033] Here, up and down movements of the ball moving up and downmechanism 10 and the chair moving up and down mechanism 20 provided inthe frame column construction part 30 will be described.

[0034] The ball part 1 is moved up and down by the ball moving up anddown mechanism 10, thereby adjusting the height. For realizing this,initially, when the ball moving up and down switches 5 a and 5 b arestepped down to switch those on, the hydraulic pump 3 is operated topressurize or depressurize the ball moving up and down cylinder 15,thereby extending or shortening the piston rod 17. The ball movingbracket 13 connected to the ball moving up and down cylinder 15 is movedup and down along the up and down movement guide arm 33 b according tothe extension and shortening of the piston rod 17, whereby the ball part1 is moved up and down. The up and down movement of the ball part 1 isstopped when the ball moving up and down switches 5 a and 5 b arestepped off. Therefore, a period of stepping down the ball moving up anddown switches 5 a and 5 b is adjusted, thereby placing the ball part 1at a desired height.

[0035] Further, the hair washing chair 40 is moved up and down by thechair moving up and down mechanism 20, thereby adjusting the height. Forrealizing this, similarly as in the above-described case of the ballmoving up and down mechanism 10, initially, when the chair moving up anddown switches 6 a and 6 b are stepped down to switch those on, thehydraulic pump 3 is operated to pressurize or depressurize the chairmoving up and down cylinder 24, thereby extending or shortening thepiston rod 26. The chair moving bracket 22 connected to the chair movingup and down cylinder 24 are moved up and down along the frame 31 a bythe sliding rollers 28 according to the extension and shortening of thepiston rod 26, whereby the hair washing chair 40 is moved up and down.The up and down movement of the hair washing chair 40 is stopped whenthe ball moving up and down switches 5 a and 5 b are stepped off,similarly as in the above-described case of the ball moving up and downmechanism 10. Therefore, a period of stepping down the chair moving upand down switches 6 a and 6 b is adjusted, thereby placing the hairwashing chair 40 at a desired height.

[0036] Next, operations in case of performing a hair washing will bedescribed with employing the hair washing apparatus according to thefirst embodiment.

[0037] Initially, when a dresser (not shown) for performing a hairwashing wants to, for example, move up the ball part to a desiredposition wherein he can easily perform a hair washing according to hisheight, the hair dresser steps down the ball moving up switch 5 a, andmoves up the ball part 1 to the desired position according to theabove-described up movement of the ball moving up and down mechanism 10.Next, the hair dresser seat a person to be washed (not shown) on thehair washing chair 40, and makes the person places his head part at theball part 1. At that timing, initially, the hair dresser operates thechair moving up and down switches 6 a and 6 b so that a height of thehead part of the person to be washed is positioned approximately at theball part 1, and adjusts the height of the hair washing chair 40. Theoperation for moving up the hair washing chair 40 can be performed bythe person to be washed. In such a case, the hairdresser adjusts aheight of the ball part 1 in accordance with the desired height of thehair dressing chair 40 set by the person to be washed, so that the ballpart 1 is positioned approximately at the head part of the person to bewashed.

[0038] After a position of the ball part 1 and the hair washing chair 40are set as described above, the hairdresser tilts a seat back of thehair washing chair 40, and makes the person to be washed lie on hisback, and places his head part at the ball part 1, and then a hairwashing is started. When the person to be washed feels uncomfortablenessin his posture or the position of the head part to the ball part 1 atthe time when he lies on the chair, the hairdresser slightly adjusts theheight of the hair washing chair 40 by operating the chair moving up anddown switches 6 a and 6 b. Therefore, the person to be washed canreceive a hair washing on the hair washing chair 40 with keeping hisdesired posture and the position of the head part, in which he does notfeel uncomfortableness.

[0039] The above-described operations are performed in order to adjustthe respective height of the ball part 1 and the hair washing chair 40according to height of the hair dresser and the person to be washed, andsets the height. Thereafter, the hair dresser performs a hair washingfor the person to be washed.

[0040] Further, an operation of washing a nape of the person to bewashed is included in the hair washing operations. When the operation isperformed at the hair washing apparatus of the first embodiment, thehairdresser steps down the ball moving down switch 5 b, and slightlymoves down the ball part 1 according to the above-described downmovement of the ball moving up and down mechanism 10. Therefore, it ispossible to easily wash his nape without raising up the head of theperson to be washed, but only with keeping his head part by one hand,and further, it is possible to reduce burdens of the hairdresser duringthe operation. Then, the operations are completed, the hairdresser stepsdown the ball moving up switch 5 a so as to return the ball moving upand down mechanism 10 to the original position according to theabove-described up movement of the ball moving up and down mechanism 10,and then makes the person to be washed place his head at the ball part1.

[0041] After the above-described hair washing operations are completedby the hairdresser, when the same hair dresser successively performs ahair washing of the other person to be washed, the hair dresser mainlyadjusts a height of the hair washing chair 40 to a height of the otherperson to be washed who is seated on the hair washing chair 40, sincethe height of the ball part 1 is already set according to the height ofthe hairdresser.

[0042] Further, when the other hairdresser, not the above hairdresser,performs a hair washing to the other person to be washed, the otherhairdresser adjusts each height of the ball part 1 and the hair washingchair 40 to the desired height according to height of the otherhairdresser and the other person to be washed, similarly as in theabove.

[0043] Further, according to the hair washing apparatus of the firstembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the hair washing chair 40 can beremoved from the hair washing unit. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating anouter appearance of the hair washing apparatus when the hair washingchair 40 is removed from the hair washing unit.

[0044] In FIG. 4, the chair attaching part 29 of the hair washing unitis provided with a chair attaching boss 34 for attaching the hairwashing chair 40. The hair washing chair 40 is provided with a seat ironplate 43 which has a chair attaching bracket 44 for engaging the chairattaching boss 34 therewith, at a bottom of the seat part 41. When thehair washing chair 40 is attached to the hair washing unit, the chairattaching boss 34 is engaged with the chair attaching bracket 44 so thata chair fixing groove 45 cut at the chair attaching bracket 44 is fit toa chair fixing position determining pin 35 of the chair attaching boss34. Whereby, the hair washing chair 40 is fixed to the chair attachingpart 29 of the hair washing unit.

[0045] As described above, according to the hair washing apparatus ofthe first embodiment, in which the hair washing chair 40 can be easilyattached to the hair washing unit and detached therefrom, if a person tobe washed is a handicapped person on a wheelchair, the hair washingchair 40 is removed from the hair washing apparatus as described withreferring to FIG. 4, whereby he can receive a hair washing with ridingon the wheelchair 50 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0046]FIG. 5 is a view illustrating that a handicapped person receives ahair washing on the wheelchair according to the first embodiment.

[0047] When a hair washing is performed to the handicapped person on thewheelchair 50, initially, the hairdresser confirms whether or not thehair washing chair 40, i.e., a chair supporting arm 21, is placed at thelowest position before removing the hair washing chair 40. When thechair is not placed at the lowest position, he pressed the chair movingdown switch 6 b so as to make the chair place at the lowest positionaccording to the above-described down movement of the chair moving upand down mechanism 20. Then, the hairdresser removes the hair washingchair from the hair washing unit in the above-described manner, andmoves the wheelchair 50 from a seat back side so as to be placed nearthe hair washing apparatus, and then makes the person to be washedinmovably settle the wheel chair at a position, in which the person tobe washed on the wheelchair 50 can place his head part at the ball part1. Further, when a position of the ball part 1 is low to a head part ofthe person to be washed on the wheelchair 50, the ball moving up switch5 a is stepped down, or when the ball part 1 is high, the ball movingdown switch 51) is stepped down. Therefore, the posit-ion of the ballpart 1 is adjusted so that a height is approximately same as the heightof the head part of the person to be washed according to theabove-described up and down movement of the ball moving up and downmechanism 10. Then, a hair washing is performed. Therefore, when thehandicapped person on the wheelchair 50 receives a hair washing, it isnot necessary for him to change from the wheelchair 50 to the hairwashing chair 40, thereby sharply reducing burdens of the person to bewashed, due to the change.

[0048] Further, according to the hair washing apparatus, as an anotherexample for removing the hair washing chair 40 from the hair washingunit, a case in which a person to be washed is a pregnant woman who isnear the last month of pregnancy, will be described. FIG. 6 is a viewillustrating that a pregnant mother who is near the last month ofpregnancy receives a hair washing on a hair washing chair for a pregnantwoman. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating that a pregnant mother who is nearthe last month of pregnancy receives a hair washing on a usual hairwashing chair.

[0049] According to the usual hair washing chair 40, the chair is tilteduntil the seat back is approximately flatted, as illustrated in FIG. 7.However, the flattened state results in a posture which increasesburdens to an abdominal region of the pregnant woman who is near thelast month of pregnancy. Therefore, when a hair washing is performed tothe pregnant woman who is near the last month of pregnancy according tothe hair washing apparatus, in which the chair can be easily removedfrom the hair washing unit, the hairdresser removes the conventionalhair washing chair, a seat back of which is approximately flattened asillustrated in FIG. 7, from the hair washing unit, and replaces the sameby a hair washing chair for a pregnant woman 60, which cannot be tilteduntil only to an angle which is a little wider than a tilted angle of anoffice chair, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Then, a hair washing for thepregnant woman who is near the last month of pregnancy is performed withemploying the hair washing chair 60. Therefore, it is possible to reduceburdens to the abdominal region of the pregnant woman who is near thelast month of pregnancy.

[0050] As described above, when the hair washing apparatus according tothe first embodiment is employed, regardless of height of a hairdresserfor performing a hair washing and a person to be washed who receives ahair washing, the ball part 1 and the hair washing chair 40 can beadjusted according to the all combinations, whereby it is possible toset the height to a desired position of the hairdresser and the personto be washed. Thus, the hairdresser can perform a hair washing at hisdesired height, thereby reducing burdens to his lumber region during ahair washing performance. Further, a position of a head part or aposture of the person to be washed during a hair washing can be set in adesired state. Therefore, it is possible to reduce burdens to both ofthe hairdresser and the person to be washed.

[0051] Further, according to the hair washing apparatus of the firstembodiment, since the hair washing unit is provided with the hairwashing chair 40, it is possible to easily arrange the hair washingapparatus at a barbershop or a beauty salon, and also possible to easilymove the same. Further, the hair washing chair 40 provided with the hairwashing unit can be easily removed from the hair washing unit.Therefore, if a person to be washed is a handicapped person on awheelchair or a pregnant woman who is near the last month of pregnancy,the hair washing chair 40 can be removed or replaced according to acondition of the person to be washed, thereby reducing burdens of theperson to be washed during a hair washing.

[0052] Further, the hair washing apparatus is provided with the ballmoving up and down mechanism 10 and the chair moving up and downmechanism 20 in the frame column construction part 30, thereby making anarea for arranging the hair washing apparatus small.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hair washing apparatus comprises, a hairwashing unit having a hair washing stand for performing a hair washingby a person for performing a hair washing, and a hair washing chairconnected to the hair washing unit, on which a person to be washed isseated, wherein the hair washing unit is provided with a hair washingstand moving up and down mechanism for moving up and down the hairwashing stand, and a hair washing chair moving up and down mechanism formoving up and down a seat of the hair washing chair.
 2. The hair washingapparatus described in claim 1 comprises the hair washing stand movingup and down mechanism having a ball moving up and down cylinder, one endof which is connected to a frame, and the other end of which isconnected to a ball moving bracket, and a ball attaching part forattaching the hair washing stand to an upper end of the ball movingbracket, wherein the hair washing stand is moved up and down by drivingthe ball moving up and down cylinder, and the hair washing chair movingup and down mechanism having a chair moving up and down cylinder, oneend of which is connected to a base part arranged on a floor face, andthe other end of which is connected to a chair moving bracket, and achair attaching part for detachably attaching a chair to the chairmoving bracket via a chair supporting arm in parallel to the base part,wherein the hair washing chair is moved up and down by driving the chairmoving up and down cylinder.
 3. The hair washing apparatus described inclaim 2, wherein the hair washing stand moving up and down mechanism isprovided on the upper place of a frame which is stood on the base partand has a front face of rectangle shape and side faces of parallelogramshape, and the hair washing chair moving up and down mechanism isprovided on the front face and the lower place, and wherein the hairwashing stand moving up and down mechanism is provided with an up anddown movement guide arm extending perpendicularly and downwardly, at anupper side of the frame having side faces of parallelogram shape, andthe ball attaching part is provided in parallel to the upper side of theframe with movable upwardly and downwardly, and the ball moving bracket,which is fixed to a bottom face of the ball attaching part and extendsperpendicularly and downwardly from the bottom face, moves up and downalong the up and down movement guide arm, and the hair washing chairmoving up and down mechanism moves along an inclined face of the framehaving side faces of parallelogram shape by sliding rollers providedwith the chair moving bracket.